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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Spaghetti and Meatballs

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This might seem an unlikely choice for a summer meal, but after a day on the water or hiking in the woods, a meal like this really hits the spot. Our older grandsons, who suffer from what we who love them call hollow leg syndrome, consume an amazing amount of food and a meal like this really helps keep their hunger at bay. This recipe is a scaled back version of one developed by Cook's Illustrated and if you have not yet tried this recipe, I hope you soon will. These are some of the best meatballs I've ever tasted and the sauce is wonderfully flavorful and robust without being heavy. Don't let the length of the ingredient list mislead you into thinking this is a difficult recipe to prepare. It most decidedly is not. The various elements of this dish can be tackled separately and put together for a final simmer just before serving. All the ingredients used here can be found in any grocery store and none of them are exotic. I suspect the use of gelatin may be puzzling to some of you, but the editors at Cook's Illustrated explain that it is used to keep the meatballs soft and tender. While I don't understand the chemistry of this, I can tell you that it works. As with all of the vacation recipes I'm featuring this month, the quantities used here can be doubled or tripled if you have a gang to feed. I do hope you'll try this version of spaghetti and meatballs. It really is delicious and I know you will enjoy it. Here's the recipe.

Directions:
1) To make meatballs: Place a wire racks in 1 foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Adjust one oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees.Combine bread crumbs and buttermilk in large bowl and let sit, mashing occasionally with fork, until a smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes.Add eggs, beef, pork, prosciutto, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, gelatin mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to bread crumb mixture. Gently mix everything with your hands until thoroughly combined. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray (or rub with olive oil). Form meatballs using about 1/4 cup of meat mixture per meatball, and space the meatballs out on the rack as you form them. You should end up with 10 to 12 meatballs. Roast until browned, about 30 minutes, rotating tray from front to back halfway through.

2) To make the sauce: While meatballs roast, heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around edges, 6 to 8 minutes.Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, wine, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

3) To complete: Remove meatballs from oven, and lower oven temperature to 300 degrees. Add meatballs to sauce, cover pot, and place in oven. Cook until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened, about 1 hour.

4) Shortly before serving: Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water. Drain pasta and return to cooking pot. Stir basil and parsley into sauce and adjust seasoning with sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Add a 1/2 cup of sauce to pasta and toss until lightly coated. Serve pasta from a serving bowl. Pass meatballs and remaining sauce at table with a separate bowl of Parmesan cheese. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

32 comments
:

Your spaghetti and meatballs looks tasty You can submit your spaghetti and meatballs pics on http://www.foodporn.net It is a food photography site where members can submit all food pictures that make readers hungry :)I am already hungry to see these photos BTW, LOL

There's never a wrong time for spaghetti and meatballs. This looks like a lovely recipe. With good faith in mind, I have nominated you with the Illuminating Blogger Award on my post today. I hope you don't mind.

You can never go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs in my book! I love the review you give this recipe too. I normally like to stick with my families recipe, this definitely sounds like it's worth a try. The picture is making my mouth water.....

I like the meatball ingredients, Mary. I read someplace mixing ground beef with other ground meats makes for a much better meatball. The buttermilk addition is one I've never used, but then I'd never heard of gelatin either. Looks heavenly, Mary.Have a wonderful week!

Besides hamburgers my husbands favorite dish is spaghetti with meatballs. Oddly enough i feel like I've never mastered a good meatball. This weekend while we are here in the mountains of Colorado he is doing the Double-Triple Bypass, a biking event covering 3 mountain passes on one day, then going back again the next day. This recipe will be the perfect dish to have made when he gets home. He's usually thoroughly exhausted and needs lots of carb loading. I can make this on Saturday and heat it up on Sunday.

Dear Mary, This sounds delicious. It is a little warm here though and I am trying to prepare meals that do not need to cook in the oven.I could always fry the meatballs though.Have a beautiful day. Blessings dearest. Catherine xo

I've seen this recipe from Cook's, Mary, but haven't tried it. I'm so glad to hear your review of the meatballs. I know your grandsons must adore your cooking!! The blueberry french toast sounds so good, as do the cookies you shared and the tortilla pie. They all sound like winners to me. You share the BEST recipes!!

This is a meal that no one in my family would ever turn down no matter the weather. And those meatballs sound exceptionally tasty. The buttermilk and gelatin are definitely new but I'm all for getting more gelatin in my joints!

Mary, The recipe for the meatballs is just great...beef, pork, a bit of spice and prosciutto! Nice touch... We buy our proscuitto from Benton's store here in east Tennessee(also on-line w/products used by chef's from coast to coast). I love spaghetti and meatballs no matter what time of the year it is! Thanks and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

I really love this dish! It is so delicious, satisfying and very quick to prepare. The meat balls may require some work but these are definitely worth it. This has actually become a staple food in our home. My mom will make bags of meatballs that are then frozen making it readily available in vase we make dishes like spaghetti with meatballs. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will surely suggest this for dinner, even though we just had it a day ago!

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